


Into the Breach

by Jaye_Voy



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Adult Content, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 10:45:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5964463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaye_Voy/pseuds/Jaye_Voy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What might have happened if there had been no distractions in the Void?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Into the Breach

**Author's Note:**

> A non-canon treatment of "Night".  
> Written for the 2003 Blue Alert Contest. Although there are some tweaks, the story's contents (and its flaws) are mostly intact.  
> Star Trek and all related characters and concepts are the property of Paramount. No infringement is intended or profit made. This is NC-17 for angst, adult themes, language, and sex.

Funny how easy it was to slip into a routine. Actions, feelings, thoughts, they all start out as choices that become habits until eventually one day seems very much like the next, only the star date changing.

This was the 53rd day in the Void, and here was Chakotay in her cabin with his usual shtick. And Kathryn was once more simply enduring the conversation until she could be left alone with her thoughts.

She was half-leaning on the viewport in her quarters, staring at the endless starless night. Chakotay had delivered his typical report, made his customary suggestion that she join him on the holodeck, in the mess hall---anyplace that would get her out of her quarters. And she had declined and dismissed him, already sinking back into the morass of regrets that kept her endlessly occupied as Voyager continued her solitary journey through the sea of darkness.

Kathryn started when Chakotay's reflection suddenly appeared behind her own.

He too kept his eyes on the viewport, his tone reflective as he said quietly, "I understand what's going on here."

She didn't respond.

He didn't seem to expect her to as he mused, "I've felt the lure of the Void myself. With no stars for distraction, the mind turns inward for contemplation, closing in on itself for protection. But there's no silence in the darkness. Waiting to sting you with a thousand sharp words of recrimination is every bad call you've ever made, every untaken path in your life."

Kathryn could have agreed; he had described the situation perfectly. But she wanted to be left alone, so she said nothing. If she gave him the slightest sign of weakening he'd take it as encouragement and keep at it, quietly tenacious as always.

He was a stubborn cuss, no doubt about it.

But so was she.

Stalemate.

Kathryn had lost all sense of time in the Void. She didn't know how long they remained at their silent impasse. But she knew immediately when Chakotay decided to end it. His expression, reflected in the transparent aluminum, seemed to ripple with unidentified emotions that eventually settled into determination.

She had some vague notion that this did not bode well for the immediate future, but couldn't bring herself to care.

"Enough," Chakotay said, and stepped closer.

Kathryn tensed at the warmth at her back, the almost-contact, but again said nothing and refused to turn. She did meet his eyes in the viewport, startled by the mix of weariness and anger in his voice.

"Enough, already," he repeated with a kind of pained frustration, and Kathryn could see his hands clench into fists. "There is a point when healthy self-reflection becomes unflattering self-absorption, and you passed it weeks ago."

She turned at that, not annoyed enough to climb out of her funk, but feeling the insult could not pass uncontested. "Excuse me?" she said, her warning tone clear.

"You heard me," Chakotay snapped. He shifted into standard parade-rest, as if he were about to deliver a report.

It turned out to be an ultimatum.

"We are in the midst of the greatest crisis this crew has ever faced. They need a captain who will lead them by example, not one who hides and sulks and spends her time wallowing in the past." He paused for breath and met her eyes. "You don't feel like being in charge anymore, fine. Resign and clear out of these quarters to make way for someone who does."

Kathryn came alive at that, anger stiffening her spine as she shoved her face into his. "Neither you nor anyone else is going to pry me from this cabin until I am damn well ready to go," she sneered. "Consider yourself on report for insubordination, *mister*. If I choose to take a little time for myself after *years* of being on duty, then I sure as hell am going to do it."

"This isn't vacation, it's clinical depression." Chakotay's retort was as implacable as the line he was drawing. "Since you choose to retain your title, I'm giving you three choices, *Captain*: report to Sickbay for treatment, show up on the bridge and do your damn job, or get yourself ready to face a court-martial on charges of dereliction of duty."

Kathryn certainly didn't feel apathetic now---she was bristling with fury and wounded pride. She wanted to punish him for it. "And who's going to take my place, you? You're always far too ready to give up or give in---that's the mark of a follower, not a leader. When have you ever made the big decisions, the tough ones?"

Chakotay rarely lost his temper---this time he did. Kathryn gasped as she was seized by the arms and shaken, staring into wild dark eyes. Chakotay's hands were clamped around her biceps, his breath hot in her face as he snarled, "Don't think I can't make them, Kathryn. You've never seen me with my back against the wall---you have no idea what I can and will do to protect my people."

He pushed away from her, stiff with anger. "You've spent the last seven weeks in here, bemoaning all your alleged sins, starting with stranding us in the Delta Quadrant. Well maybe you should reconsider what would have happened if you'd used the Caretaker's Array and landed back in the Badlands."

"We'd have been home safe, after days in the Delta---not years!" Kathryn snapped.

He snorted. "I'm sure you've had rosy visions of Carey reuniting with his family, Naomi knowing her father. Maybe even you marrying Mark, puppies playing at your feet."

Chakotay's laugh was filled with scorn. "Forget it. Do you really imagine I'd have just meekly let you bring in the Maquis? Let them be sentenced to a Federation prison---or a Cardassian POW camp? If so, you really do need to see a doctor."

He closed in on her again, dark and menacing. "You'd have been in a pitched battle for this ship---even for your life. Because I promise you it would have been a fight to the death. We had nothing left to lose."

Her hand flew up on instinct, intending to force him away, or to strike---some grand gesture to prove she wasn't intimidated. Her mouth opened to spit venomous declarations of ownership: *her* ship, *her* crew, *her* rules, *her* reprisal for such a blatant threat, even if it was in the past.

The look in his eyes stopped her.

Chakotay had never been very good at outright deceiving her---she sometimes suspected that in truth he never really tried. But he was a private man who often kept his reactions to himself.

Except for his eyes. They truly were windows to his soul, openly displaying emotions his expression only hinted at.

Now that the flash of anger was gone, she could sense what he was truly feeling. She had never seen him so bleak, so utterly defeated. It shocked her to the core. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered, her action vastly different from her original intent.

He blinked, looked down. She waited, silent, as he seemed to debate with himself what answer to offer her. Perhaps deciding how much truth she could take.

Finally he sighed and met her gaze, the devastation of his eyes at odds with the calm of his face and voice. "Because my responsibility to the crew is all that's left."

"I don't understand." Kathryn spoke the words, but didn't entirely mean them. Comprehension hovered just beyond her reach, yet she was almost fearful to grasp it.

She had a premonition that many things left unsaid would no longer be so.

Chakotay's eyes roamed her face as he admitted, "I loved you, once upon a time. You were intelligent, strong, graceful, so full of life, and that made you irresistible to me. I waited for years for some hint that perhaps you could feel the same." 

He shrugged. "But you didn't seem to want anything from me except friendship."

His mouth quirked ruefully. "The poets always portray unrequited love as something grand and noble, but it's not. It's just..." He glanced away, out into the Void. "...lonely. So I gave up on love; I would only be your friend."

Kathryn's breath stilled. She had known. On some level, she had recognized what his tale of the ancient warrior had meant, and she had been aware when that dream was set aside.

She had never pondered her own response. Never dared, too uncertain of herself and him and Voyager's situation. She knew her chance had come when Mark's letter set her free from her engagement, but she'd done nothing. And as the days, weeks, months passed, the possibility faded into the background of Voyager life.

When Chakotay's gaze returned to her he nodded in acknowledgement. "But after a while my friend no longer seemed to need me. My ideas had no merit, my opinions no weight. My company and counsel were no longer requested...or required. Just my obedience as first officer." 

The lines on his face deepened as his voice dropped. "And that's what I was reduced to: a first officer serving my captain and crew."

He chuckled, but the sound held no mirth. "But now you've decided you can't even be bothered to do your share. So I figure it's time to cut the last tie. At first I thought I would resign, but in all honesty I don't trust Starfleet. So staying in this uniform is the best way I can protect the Maquis part of my crew. Besides, why should I be the one who gets docked rations and living space? I'm actually doing my job."

Kathryn didn't have time to formulate a reply, because Chakotay waved away his confession like it was immaterial and got back to business. "So that's where we stand. Bottom line: Voyager needs a captain. So either be one or appoint one---or face the consequences."

With a last unreadable glance, he turned and left.

************************************************************

Kathryn spent the next 12 hours running a gamut of emotions and a gantlet of memories. At first she gave vent to her fury at Chakotay's presumption, convinced that she should call his bluff---by resigning or letting him just *try* to make a criminal case against her.

Then she fell onto her sofa, depressed that her first officer had so obviously lost respect for her. That led to worry that the entire crew were whispering about her behind closed doors. Which sparked resentment for their obvious lack of appreciation of all she had sacrificed for them.

And that, of course, brought her back to the Caretaker's Array. Chakotay had been right: she'd been a bit naive in her picture of a happy alternative Alpha-Quadrant existence. In her self-flagellation she'd overlooked the fact that the Maquis would have been whisked off her ship in shackles the moment they reached port.

It was jarring to realize she'd have never known them: fierce B'Elanna, somber Ayala, sweet Gerron, brusque Henley, earnest Tabor, wary Hogan and all the rest---even Seska and Suder.

And, of course, Chakotay. Looking back at the crafty, dangerous man Starfleet had targeted, Kathryn could well believe his original plans for the takeover of Voyager.

Would he have succeeded? Who knows? As far as she was aware, the rebels hadn't beamed over with any weapons. But the Maquis were nothing if not resourceful, and Chakotay's battle-hardened crew were certainly better prepared to fight than her own people in those first shaky days.

Besides, as Chakotay had admitted, the Maquis had nothing left to lose, and most of them would rather have died than end up in enemy hands.

There would have been other casualties as well. If she had used the Array, the Kazon would have seized control of the Delta. Not only the Ocampa would have suffered under their rule.

So did she truly regret her choice? The price for stranding them all halfway across the galaxy had been high indeed---she'd certainly weighed every lost life and missed loved one in the last few weeks---but in the final balance, the decision was the right one.

Kathryn sighed, almost regretful. Chakotay had shaken her out of her fog of regrets, forced her to face the fact that all this mental hand-wringing was irrelevant. Now she had to rejoin the land of the living. It was never an easy task.

She wondered if she should thank Chakotay or demote him.

Or perhaps just ask him to be her friend again. He had gone out on a limb for her today. It couldn't have been easy, speaking of his own what-might-have-beens. Handing such powerful emotional weapons to someone he no longer felt close to. Kathryn hadn't missed the fact that he'd referred to *his* people.

It was time she reminded him that *our* was the proper term. That Chakotay could at least still count on her for that much.

She wasn't yet ready to deal with the implications of everything he'd said, but now that she was made aware of it, she keenly missed his warm presence in her life. Even if in the end they couldn't salvage their old bond, she *could* be the kind of captain he could put his trust in.

He---all of Voyager's crew---deserved nothing less.

Kathryn smiled to herself as she started making plans.

************************************************************  
************************************************************

It was the 89th day in the Void, and oh, what a difference a month could make.

Where the bridge had once been empty save for a pair of bored officers, it was now bustling with people. Junior crewmembers stood at unfamiliar consoles, brows furrowed as their mentors explained each screen's function.

Neelix chattered happily at the Tactical station, Tuvok supervising him with vaunted Vulcan patience. Sam Wildman cautiously made course changes under Tom's tutelage. Gerron peered at the readings at Ops while Seven and Harry demonstrated experimental scans. Celes Tal wandered the bridge, running inventory on the medkits secreted here and there. The EMH crouched beside the young Bajoran, explaining each instrument’s purpose and optimal condition as they went through the packs.

Kathryn lounged in her chair, padd in hand, the blackness on the viewscreen no longer so frightening.

They were doing something about it. The science and engineering teams were experimenting with new ways to use their sensors, a kind of echolocation that at least confirmed that they weren't going to run into anything while they were cruising at high warp.

The sense of empowerment had energized the crew. Kathryn had emerged from her self-imposed exile armed with Chakotay's suggested implementation of Neelix's cross-training suggestions. She had not only endorsed the plan, but threw herself into it, helping with training, running battle sims with rookie bridge crews.

Her own self-confidence had returned full force. Once she had again accepted her choice to be in the Delta, Kathryn became determined to make the best of life aboard Voyager, for herself and her crew.

The process had included some changes on a personal level. She found herself more willing to listen, to take the time to interact more with her colleagues. After such a prolonged isolation, the company was refreshing, and welcome.

Re-establishing her friendships with B'Elanna, Neelix, Sam, Tom, Harry, the Doc, Seven, and Tuvok had given her a renewed sense of kinship, of family.

But most profoundly altered was her bond with Chakotay. She had seen the relief in his eyes when she'd walked into the conference room the morning after their confrontation.

The fact that he'd left her chair empty had spoken even more eloquently of his hopes.

They never really discussed his insubordination or her return. He had smoothly inserted her back into the duty roster, supporting her adjustments to his plans with his usual grace.

Her overtures of friendship had been more warily greeted, but Chakotay seemed willing to give things a fair chance. Kathryn didn't miss his flash of surprise when she once more began to invite him to discuss ideas privately before presenting them in staff meetings.

It was ironic; early in the journey she and Chakotay had just automatically clicked. No effort---the friendship just seemed to be there. This time, they both worked at building the connection, step by careful step. Small confidences they'd stopped sharing years ago were restarted. They sat together at group meals or events on the expanded social calendar. It was natural again for him to perch on the arm of her Ready Room chair to share her computer screen or for her to touch him lightly in passing.

They were more playful with each other. Chakotay assigned Kathryn to kitchen duty for a week; she retaliated by having him teach Chell administrative tasks.

Kathryn glanced to her left, her breath catching at the brightness of Chakotay's dimpled smile as he caught her exuberant mood. Her own grin widened in reply.

Life aboard Voyager was good.

************************************************************  
************************************************************

Kathryn paced her quarters, more nervous than she expected. It was the 200th day in the Void, but tomorrow would mark the end of their time there.

Weeks ago, the ingenuity and hard work of Voyager's crew had gifted them with sensors that could penetrate the theta radiation causing the blackness. With the enhanced capability of mapping their surroundings, fresh data began pouring into the computer banks, leaving the scientists happy.

Seven had been manning Astrometrics yesterday when they found the wormhole. Probes determined that the spatial phenomenon was stable, safe, and that it exited far outside the Void, in an uninhabited region of space.

It was wonderful news. People were practically humming at their stations, eagerly anticipating the return of the stars, even unfamiliar ones.

But tomorrow also marked the return to a normal existence, to pre-Void life. This was what concerned Kathryn.

She didn't want to go back. It would be all too easy to fall once more into old routines, her sense of isolation, her obsessive drive for home.

To forget the journey when she could once more see her destination.

But this time she vowed it wouldn't happen. For Kathryn had begun to walk a new path, one that she thought had been closed to her forever.

She was in love with Chakotay.

The feeling had crept up on her gradually, taking her unawares. They had been spending more and more time together, enjoying each other's company. One night, they'd been sitting with the bridge crew at Sandrine's, no big thing. B'Elanna and Tom had been teasing Tuvok about Neelix's Tactical performance. She'd glanced over at Chakotay, and...

His dimples were in full bloom, white teeth flashing as he joined in the laughter. Then he'd looked her way. He was more than attractive or handsome or sexy---he was utterly beautiful to her. And his eyes were alight in a way she hadn't seen in a long time.

Her breath had whooshed right out of her in a shock of realization. She wanted very much to have him truly by her side, in all things, in all ways. For always.

Before, such thoughts would have sent her skittering for cover. Because she wasn't sure of her own feelings, or his, or how the crew would react.

But the past was not the present. Kathryn had come to grips with her choice at the Caretaker's Array. She was committed to this ship, this crew, this life. And this man. She felt the love and hope rise tingling from her toes to flutter in her stomach to finally blush on her cheeks.

She'd looked away before Chakotay could guess at her change of heart. That night, however, marked a new phase of their relationship. She made overtures she'd never have contemplated years ago. Quick goodnight kisses that moved from forehead to cheek to lips. Brief embraces that lingered.

Chakotay had obviously been cautious in his responses. Kathryn couldn't blame him. He'd been disappointed by love enough times.

He'd been disappointed by her.

But not anymore. *If* she was reading him right.

She couldn't be absolutely sure. Hence, her nervous pacing.

The chime startled her to a stop. She called the door to open, unconsciously smoothing down her casual tunic and pants.

Her stomach started fluttering again as Chakotay glided in, gorgeous in dark green and black. He'd spent some of his time in the Void giving boxing lessons, and looked more fit than she'd ever seen him.

But it was the glimmer of his eyes that really caught her breath, hope surging almost painfully.

She swallowed. "Hello, Chakotay."

He smiled at her. "Reporting as requested."

Kathryn walked over and clasped his hands, drawing him to the viewport. She stopped beside him, staring at their reflections. "Chakotay, I asked you here to---we never really talked about things."

She could see his brows draw together a moment, but he answered easily enough. "No, we didn't." He cleared his throat. "Kathryn, I---"

Kathryn turned to him, releasing one hand to press a finger to his lips. "I wanted to thank you." 

She nodded in response to his disbelieving stare. "You gave me quite a new perspective on things." She dropped her hand to let him speak.

His voice held an undercurrent of amusement. "You make insubordination sound positively genteel."

"I try," she chuckled, then sobered. Taking a deep breath for courage, she raised her hand again, laying her palm against his chest. She could feel the warmth of him through his shirt. "You told me then that you once loved me, but you knew it was best to let those feelings go."

Chakotay simply nodded, holding her gaze.

She swallowed, glanced down and up again. "This is tougher than I expected." 

After biting her lip a moment, she continued. "You said that you'd lost the dream of love, then your friend, and finally your captain."

"Not quite the captain," Chakotay corrected with a shrug. "She came back pretty quickly."

"And the friend?" Kathryn asked carefully.

His eyes warmed. "She showed up soon after. Although not quite the same as I remembered."

Her fingers trembled as she shifted her hand to cradle his cheek. "And what about...what about the dream?" The question was quiet, hope and fear swirling within her. Kathryn was honest enough to admit she didn't want her feelings to be unrequited.

Surely they'd both been lonely long enough.

Chakotay closed his eyes and tilted his head, leaning into her touch, turning his face to brush his lips against her palm. Then he looked at her again, both rueful and wistful. "What do you want me to say, Kathryn? I told you what made you so attractive: a vitality of mind and spirit, toughness and warmth in equal measure."

His eyes roamed her face as he acknowledged, "Everything you've been and become since our conversation. Again, not the way you were, but just as compelling." He met her gaze, and again she could see the mix of wariness and hope.

Kathryn slid closer, her hand sliding around to the back of his neck to draw his head down. She rose up to meet him. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Why?" The question was just a whisper, his breath a caress against her lips.

"Because I wanted you to know that if there was ever any chance you could find that dream again---" His lips on hers stopped her words, then her thoughts, then her breath.

Kathryn made a low sound of relief and joy at the back of her throat as his lips coaxed hers into parting for him. His hands settled at her waist as he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss.

Her hands slid into his hair, feeling the soft strands feather through her fingers. She leaned into him, darting her tongue into his mouth to tease and explore, letting him take her weight, pressing their bodies close together.

She lost track of time once more, knowing nothing except the sweetness of his mouth and the solid weight of his body underneath her hands. She shivered as his fingers splayed across her back, stroking, sliding her shirt tantalizingly against her skin.

When they finally drew apart, panting, Chakotay cupped her face in his palms. He stared at her as if plumbing the depths of her soul. "I have to know, Kathryn."

"What?" she asked.

He swallowed. "What are we doing here? Celebrating the end of the Void?"

"No," Kathryn admitted, her fingers rising to carefully trace his tattoo. She focused on the indigo lines, then dared to meet his waiting gaze. "We're marking the beginning of a new life. Together." She paused. This was the moment of truth. "If you'll join me."

His smile was tender as he said quietly, "I do love you, Kathryn."

The simple statement settled deep into her blood, her bones, her mind and heart and soul. She was ready now to hear it, to acknowledge it, to accept it.

And to return it. "I love you too, Chakotay. So much."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. His sigh whispered against her skin.

She drew back and caught his hands. Without a word his query and her response decided them. They were ready for the next part of the journey.

A few steps brought them into her bedroom. Kathryn turned and moved into Chakotay's embrace, feeling his arms close around her, letting the hunger she sensed in his touch spark her own desires.

Kathryn reveled in the sensations Chakotay evoked, his mouth sliding across hers, his tongue mating with hers as they sealed their bond with a kiss. She quickly began unbuttoning his shirt, splaying her fingers across his chest, exploring eagerly.

Hard muscles and bones were covered with warm, soft skin. She used her fingertips to barely brush against his small dusky nipples, hearing his groan as she teased them to hard peaks, then teased them again, rolling, pinching.

She gasped as he broke the kiss to latch on to her throat, his mouth sliding open and hot along its length, sucking the vulnerable skin between his lips and teeth. When his warm hands slid under her tunic to stroke her back again she moaned and raised her arms for him to lift off the garment.

When Chakotay tossed the shirt away she reached out to his shoulders, curving her hands around them and sliding his own top slowly down his arms to let it drop.

She slid her palms along his torso, tracing the gentle undulation of his ribs, and down along his abdomen. Then up again, watching his eyes dilate and darken further as she continued to caress him.

Her own flesh felt exposed, despite her bra, as his heated gaze roamed her, looking his fill. Then his fingers delicately slid the straps down her shoulders. She leaned into him so he could reach behind to undo the clasp.

The touch of his skin against hers was shockingly hot. She slid back a moment to let the bra slip from her body to the floor, then pressed them together once more, reaching up to pull Chakotay into another kiss.

He went eagerly enough, his arms closing tight around her as their bodies slid against each other. His hands drifted across her skin, tracing her spine, spanning her waist.

Then Chakotay pushed her back slightly. She shivered under his predatory gaze. Then he lowered his lips to her collarbone, kissing the length once before returning to tease her skin with tiny licks that rose gooseflesh everywhere.

She moaned as her nipples hardened instantly, pebbling almost painfully erect. She rubbed one against the inside of Chakotay's arm as he clasped her shoulders.

He growled---growled!---approvingly and descended to taste them. His first hot breath against her skin forced another gasp. His teeth closing around one peak earned him a moan as he bit, gently, then suckled.

Kathryn's fingers tightened around his back. She ran her nails from his shoulders to his waist, sensing him shudder. Then her fingers slid around to meet at the fastener to his trousers.

It was hard work to open them when her body kept distracting her. He was kissing his way to the other breast, taking a scenic route that kept discovering nerve endings she didn't remember she'd had.

But finally the cloth parted and she slid her hands past the pants and briefs, wanting to reach skin. She gently worked both layers over his erection, then quickly pushed them down.

His head lifted as he grinned at her eagerness, then just as swiftly bared her lower half.

They stood in the puddles of their clothing a moment.

Kathryn ran her eyes down her lover's solid frame. Every curve and angle perfectly formed, courtesy of the boxer's dance in the ring. He looked like one of her old anatomy textbooks, where each muscle of the body is defined.

Or more like the ancient sculptures that had first made her aware of men, and herself as a woman. With one notable difference: erect and straining toward her was a beautifully formed cock that made her juices flow with anticipation.

Chakotay reached out and ran the very tips of his fingers through her pubic hair, hunger clear in his gaze. "Beautiful," he murmured.

Kathryn grinned at him, slow and seductive, then turned and sauntered to the bed. She settled across it, leaning on one elbow to watch him make his way toward her.

It amazed her that she had been able to ignore him for so long. He was magnificent.

Then he was sliding up her body, taking his time to let their skin touch everywhere as he pulled himself up her frame. When Chakotay lay fully across her he rested his weight on his elbows and smiled down at her, dipping his head to press quick kisses against her skin. He wandered along her jawline and flicked his tongue against the sweet spot under her ear. She arched against him, groaning, her center throbbing, wanting more.

Kathryn reached upward to do her own exploring, her hands gliding and exploring his chest as she nibbled at his neck. She cupped his buttocks, fondling them, then slid her hands around.

His length was slick with precum, easing the glide of her fingers as she explored the shaft, her thumb rubbing against the head. He groaned and dropped his head to watch her movements.

Eventually Kathryn released him and shifted under his weight, parting her thighs. She could feel the tip of his cock teasing at her clit. She bumped against it, each brush a shock along her nerves.

Chakotay caught her eyes once more, and Kathryn felt the desire and love in his gaze surround her, encompass her. Embrace her.

So she embraced him, opening her legs wider to grasp his hips, wrapping her arms around him. Nudging his cock toward her waiting center.

They moved as one, mouths diving for each other even as he sank into her welcoming flesh. Kathryn felt Chakotay's moan in her mouth, his breath and tongue filling her even as her body stretched to make way for his possession. She urged him deeper, shifting her legs higher so she could take all of him into herself.

He broke the kiss to groan against her neck, "Kathryn." It was a question.

"Yes," was all she said in return as she moved to match his tempo. The feel of him sliding in and out of her was electrifying, each push into her body giving her a jolt. She arched, rubbing her nipples against his chest, her hands on his hips urging him faster, harder.

Chakotay's fingers tangled in her hair as he tilted her face up for his kiss. Their tongues mated as hungrily as their bodies, primitive rhythm pounded out in the slaps of their flesh as they came together with each stroke.

Kathryn's nostrils flared as the scent of sweat and sex permeated the air around them. She growled low in her throat, nipping at Chakotay's tongue, pushing her hips even faster into his.

His grunt of surprise became a low sound of pleasure as he surged into her, his one hand holding her head in place while the other roamed her body, teasing her breasts, pressing his palm to her belly, and finally, finally, reaching the place they were joined.

Kathryn instinctively dug her nails into his shoulders, lifting herself into him as his fingers teased her. He spread their moisture into her curls, never losing his rhythm. They were fucking now, each driving toward release, desperate to get over the edge.

Finally his fingers closed around her clit, massaging the swollen bud with sensual intent.

She moaned as her feet dropped to the bed. Her whole body curved like a bow, only her heels and head left on the mattress as she arched in release. She was blind and deaf with ecstasy---she could only feel the sizzle of her nerves and the hard clench of her cunt around Chakotay's cock. Again, again, the pleasure became part of her pulse, part of her breath. She clutched at her lover, holding on.

Chakotay growled her name and thrust into her relentlessly, urgently, then groaned, low and long, as the hot pulses of his seed shot deep within her. He collapsed against her, panting, their sweaty foreheads pressed together a moment before he rolled to the side, pulling her with him into a loose embrace.

They stared at each other as their heartbeats slowed and breaths quieted, hands tenderly caressing, soft smiles sharing promises of all the days ahead.

Kathryn stayed awake even after Chakotay's eyes had closed in sleep. She looked out into the Void, no longer uncertain.

Although she couldn't see them, she knew she had made her place among the stars.

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are welcomed with great joy and constructive criticism is treasured as a rare gift.


End file.
